Job 22:1-22
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2'Can a strong man be of use to God, Or a wise one be useful to himself?
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or gain if you make your ways blameless?
4Is it because of your reverence that He punishes you, That He enters into judgment against you?
5Is your wickedness not abundant, And is there no end to your guilty deeds?
6For you have seized pledges from your brothers without cause, And stripped people naked.
7You have given the weary no water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8But the earth belongs to the powerful man, And the one who is honorable dwells on it.
9You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of orphans has been crushed.
10Therefore traps surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you,
11Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And a flood of water covers you.
12'Is God not in the height of heaven? Look also at the highest stars, how high they are!
13But you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see; And He walks on the vault of heaven.’
15Will you keep to the ancient path Which wicked people have walked,
16Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundations were washed away by a river?
17They said to God, ‘Go away from us!’ And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’
18Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the advice of the wicked is far from me.
19The righteous see and are glad, And the innocent mock them, saying,
20‘Truly our enemies are eliminated, And fire has consumed their abundance.’
21'Be reconciled with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.
22Please receive instruction from His mouth, And put His words in your heart.
King James Version
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
3Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous? Does he profit if you perfect your behavior?
4Does he correct you and take you to court because of your piety?
5Isn’t your wickedness abundant and aren’t your iniquities endless?
6For you took collateral from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked.
7You gave no water to the thirsty and withheld food from the famished,
8while the land belonged to a powerful man and an influential man lived on it.
9You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
10Therefore snares surround you, and sudden dread terrifies you,
11or darkness, so you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
12Isn’t God as high as the heavens? And look at the highest stars—how lofty they are!
13Yet you say, "What does God know? Can he judge through total darkness?
14Clouds veil him so that he cannot see, as he walks on the circle of the sky."
15Will you continue on the ancient path that wicked men have walked?
16They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were washed away by a river.
17They were the ones who said to God, "Leave us alone!" and "What can the Almighty do to us?"
18But it was he who filled their houses with good things. The counsel of the wicked is far from me!
19The righteous see this and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying,
New Living Translation
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2'Can a person do anything to help God? Can even a wise person be helpful to him?
3Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?
4Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you and brings judgment against you?
5No, it’s because of your wickedness! There’s no limit to your sins.
6'For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
7You must have refused water for the thirsty and food for the hungry.
8You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it!
9You must have sent widows away empty-handed and crushed the hopes of orphans.
10That is why you are surrounded by traps and tremble from sudden fears.
11That is why you cannot see in the darkness, and waves of water cover you.
12'God is so great — higher than the heavens, higher than the farthest stars.
13But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing! How can he judge through the thick darkness?
14For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’
15'Will you continue on the old paths where evil people have walked?
16They were snatched away in the prime of life, the foundations of their lives washed away.
17For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’
18Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things, so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.
English Standard Version
2 "Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
4Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you?
5Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities.
6For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7You have given no water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 The man with power possessed the land, and the favored man lived in it.
9You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.
10Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
12"Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13But you say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness?
14 Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
15Will you keep to the old way that wicked men have trod?
16They were snatched away before their time; their foundation was washed away.
17They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’ and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’
18Yet he filled their houses with good things — but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent one mocks at them,
20saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off, and what they left the fire has consumed.’
21 "Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.
22Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
New International Version
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
3What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
4"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you and brings charges against you?
5Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless?
6You demanded security from your relatives for no reason; you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
7You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry,
8though you were a powerful man, owning land— an honored man, living on it.
9And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.
10That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you,
11why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.
12"Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars!
13Yet you say, ‘What does God know? Does he judge through such darkness?
14Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’
15Will you keep to the old path that the wicked have trod?
16They were carried off before their time, their foundations washed away by a flood.
17They said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’
18Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things, so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.
19The righteous see their ruin and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying,
New King James Version
2“Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?
4“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, And enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end?
6For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it.
9You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
10Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles you,
11Or darkness so that you cannot see; And an abundance of water covers you.
12“Is not God in the height of heaven? And see the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13And you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness?
14 Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.’
15Will you keep to the old way Which wicked men have trod,
16Who were cut down before their time, Whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?’
18Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19“The righteous see it and are glad, And the innocent laugh at them:
20‘Surely our adversaries are cut down, And the fire consumes their remnant.’
21“Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.
22Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart.
